Cut Copy 3D Printed Music Video

The Music Video That'll Teach You Stop Motion and 3D Printing

As 3D printers move from futuristic toy to a viable industry in themselves, most of us are still wondering exactly what sort of everyday function the technology will bring. Maybe, though, the future of 3D printing doesn't have to have concrete applications, though we've already seen plenty of that; perhaps it'll be an art form like in Cut/Copy's new music video for "We Are Explorers," which includes a 3D-printed object — which can be yours! — in each and every frame. Through a partnership with BitTorrent, fans can download the video as well as the 3D print files for each character in the film.

The video uses over 200 3D-printed figurines, which were used by the filmmakers to represent the eight different motions the characters are seen in through the course of the video, including walking, running, sitting, and standing. While the "We Are Explorers" video incorporates the latest technology in the form of the 3D printing, the directors — Masa Kawamura, Qanta Shimizu, and Aramique Krauthamer — wanted the adventures of the characters to feel real, which is why it's shot outside, among city streets, sewers, and freeways, to give a feeling of "being tiny in a huge, overwhelming world."

While Cut/Copy's full album Free Your Mind can be purchased on iTunes, that magical 3D movie can only be unlocked with the BitTorrent Bundle. But all that extra downloading and unzipping effort is worth it for wannabe filmmakers and early-technology adopters. Included in the bundle are print files for every form and movement the two explorer characters take on, so fans can create their own versions of the explorations.

Hidden within the BitTorrent files is also an instructional PDF for 3D printing including resources to find printers in your area, along with directions on how to record the characters so their actions fit in a stop motion video also in sync with the beats per minute of "We Are Explorers." Esteemed director, here you come!